Pilot Town/Napoleon Bonaparte Broward (Historical Marker)

This historical marker shares the story of Pilot Town, Florida, which was discovered by a Union fleet after it was abandoned during the American Civil War in early 1862. Before its abandonment, which was caused by threats by pro-Confederate supporters, this had been a place of refuge for harbor pilots which included enslaved persons and their families. Sand bars along the St. Johns River could easily damage ships, so these pilots were essential. The community was reestablished later in the year as a colony for Unionist refugees as well as freed slaves, but until the end of the war, the community was in constant danger, being evacuated and revived multiple times. Once the Civil War ended, Pilot Town became a place where harbor pilots capable of traversing St. Johns lived. One of the community's most notable leaders was Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Jr., a river pilot whose life is commemorated on the other side of this historic marker.

Covering the entrance to the St. Johns River, harbor pilots were essential to getting ships safely into the river. Without their skill, sailors were at risk of the dangerous sand bars. There were well-reported experiences from the St. Johns, with a Union commander saying that blockade duty has, regarding his ship, “very much increased in her disability.”

As the Union kept its blockading patrols through the river, they found fields of corn all the way down St. Johns, far past the mouth of the river. They also saw enslaved persons working those fields and, owing to the Second Confiscation Act (July 17, 1862), Union troops could assist these persons if their owners were supporters of the Confederacy and if their labor supported the rebellion. The result was the creation of numerous makeshift colonies, including this area which was known as Pilot Town owing to the large number of harbor pilots who lived in the area.

Those in newly-established Pilot Town could find employment supporting the military, often as soldiers and general laborers. However, by the end of 1862, Confederate forces took the area back from the Union, creating a new cycle of abandonment and reestablishment of communities like Pilot Town until the end of the war. Some Black men also joined the Union Navy which included formerly enslaved sailors in their blockading vessels. Their service, according to Rear Admiral Samuel Dupont, was “beyond all price.”

After the war, Pilot Town saw more stability. Future local leader Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Jr. arrived in the 1870s and guided tugboats along the St. Johns River. He secured a formal pilot’s license in 1883, and became the owner of a steamboat, the Kate Spencer.

Broward was appointed sheriff in 1888, 1890, and 1896. What he was most known for, however, are his escapades in Cuba. He had built a seagoing tugboat with his brother in 1895, named The Three Friends. They sailed it during 1896, the same year Broward was a sheriff, to deliver munitions and men to revolutionaries in Cuba, despite the Spanish blockade and pursuit from US authorities. He did this successfully eight times. His tugboat was put to more peaceful use in 1897, and Broward bought a summer home in Pilot Town for himself and his wife. Broward was elected to Florida’s house of representatives in 1900 and voted in as governor in 1905. Although appointed to represent the state of Florida in the Senate, Broward died before formally taking office.

Kravetz, Jay. Pilot Town/Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, Historical Marker Database. August 1st 2017. Accessed October 2nd 2020. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=106389.

PILOT TOWN/ NAPOLEON BONAPARTE BROWARD, Florida Department of State. Accessed October 2nd 2020. http://apps.flheritage.com/markers/markerDetail.cfm?id=880&keyword=&city=&county=.

Historic Broward House Preserved (FL), The Trust for Public Land. July 30th 2004. Accessed October 2nd 2020. https://www.tpl.org/media-room/historic-broward-house-preserved-fl.

Napoleon Bonaparte Broward/Pilot Town, Waymarking. April 14th 2015. Accessed October 2nd 2020. https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMNPMX_Napoleon_Bonaparte_Broward_Pilot_Town.

The Civil War at Pilot Town, National Park Service. July 17th 2020. Accessed October 2nd 2020. https://www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/cw-at-pilot-town.htm.

The Civil War at Pilot Town con't, National Park Service. July 17th 2020. Accessed October 3rd 2020. https://www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/cw-at-p-town-cont.htm.